UConn needs big seasons from WRs Davis, Phillips

Chris Elsberry

Published 5:32 pm, Sunday, August 25, 2013

STORRS -- The one number that sticks out like a sore thumb when you dissect the UConn wide receiving game is two.

Of the combined 66 catches for wideouts Geremy Davis and Shakim Phillips last season, just two went for touchdowns. It was just another of the many trouble spots for an offense that couldn't manage to average 18 points en route to a second straight losing season.

Heading into the 2013 season opener against Towson on Thursday night (7:30, ESPN3) at Rentschler Field, both Davis and Phillips are determined to make that touchdown number a lot higher.

"I think that Shak and Geremy are both very talented," offensive coordinator T.J. Weist said. "They work hard and they both bring emotion to the game and that's what I'm pleased with. They've got leadership because the other receivers look at them and how hard they work every day. They see how much it means to them."

"I want to contribute as much as I can," said Davis, a 6-foot-2, 217-pound redshirt junior. "The offense (this season) is more fast-paced and that's what we want, especially at the receiver position. We're working really hard, route running, blocking, whatever. He (Weist) expects us to be a lot more physical."

Davis caught 44 passes last season, a 3.6-catch per-game average while Phillips caught 32 passes, 2.6 per game. Not exactly eye-opening. And if the Huskies want to open some eyes offensively in 2013, they need to make Davis and Phillips a much bigger part of the playbook.

That will only happen, of course, if the offensive line can protect quarterback Chandler Whitmer long enough so he can make the throw and if running back Lyle McCombs can do enough on the ground to make the defense wary of the run, which will help free up the passing game.

So easily said. So difficult to do.

"I just have to be a playmaker," said Phillips, a 6-1, 204-pound redshirt junior. "If the ball's thrown at you, you've got to catch it. Everyone has to make plays in order for the offense to work. The more comfortable you are, the faster you can play."

The last time a UConn receiver caught more than 50 passes in a season, you have to go all the way back to 2004 when wideout Keron Henry and QB Dan Orlovsky connected 67 times for 891 yards and five touchdowns. That season, the Huskies went 8-4 and won the Motor City Bowl.

Think that Phillips and/or Davis would like to duplicate those numbers and get to their first bowl game? You bet they would.

"That's why we got recruited and came here, we want to show that UConn has receivers," Davis said. "We're not just a running team. We want to show that we can make plays, too. I just have to keep believing in myself, just work and do what the coach says and try to help the team win."

So far in preseason camp, Davis and Phillips are looking like the kind of receivers that head coach Paul Pasqualoni will need them to be if the Huskies want to erase the past two 5-7 campaigns and post a winning record for the first time since 2010.

"They are (making progress)," Pasqualoni said. "Obviously, Shak and Geremy are the older guys. I think they're more confident. I think Chandler's doing a good job of getting them the ball. I think they've been productive. There's some positive things." Whitmer thinks so too.

"They're doing what we expect," the quarterback said. "They're growing like the rest of the offense. They're doing a good job helping out the young guys and getting everybody to the same level, so it's been good. Shak's got great athleticism and he can really go get the ball. He's got good speed and Geremy's got big, strong hands and he's goes up and gets the ball. It's good to have those guys out there."

Last season, the Huskies averaged just 230.4 yards a game passing -- 65th overall out of 120 FBS teams and 110th overall in total offense. That was part of the reason Pasqualoni brought in Weist from Cincinnati to try and kick start the Huskies offense.

"That's our expectations (to be able to open up the offense), not just them but everyone," Whitmer said. "We're trying to have a productive passing game this year and counter that with a good run game so we can be balanced."